Price a sticking point in talks over NBC Universal

A deal for Comcast Corp. to buy a controlling stake in NBC Universal and create a media powerhouse is taking longer than expected as the current owners tussle over price.

Comcast, the largest U.S. cable TV operator, wants NBC Universal largely for its cable channels, but it isn't likely to raise its offer to General Electric Co., which first needs Vivendi SA to sell its minority stake.

Plans currently call for GE, which owns 80 percent of NBC Universal, to buy Vivendi's 20 percent stake and then sell 51 percent to Comcast for $5 billion to $7 billion in cash. Comcast would contribute cable networks such as E and Style to a new NBC Universal joint venture with GE.